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Coquitlam Search and Rescue calls on community for help storing its new rescue boat

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The Coquitlam Search and Rescue team is calling on its community for help finding a spot to store its new rescue boat.

Robert Sell, a team leader who’s volunteered with the organization for more than a decade, says that finding a spot in the Tri-Cities to store the boat will improve the speed at which they can respond to calls.

“We have this wonderful new boat which can rescue people so much faster, but we really can't leave it outside,” he said.

The boats are an essential tool that help the team respond to an increasing number of rescue calls.

“So far this year, we've seen as many marine type rescues as we saw in the entire year last year, so it’s dramatically going up,” he said.

Sell said that a warehouse or garage with a lock, away from wildlife and inclement weather, would be an ideal storage spot.

“One of our primary factors for rescuing people is speed,” he said. “If we have to stop to kick a family of raccoons out of the back of the boat before we launch, that's not going to be good.”

The organization responds to calls on the Pitt River, Indian Arm, Buntzen Lake, Sasamat Lake, and the Fraser River – areas that people are increasingly attracted to for outdoor recreation, Sell said.

“We really need to be able to get in there and … be that safety net for them.”

The boats are used either to retrieve stranded boaters or swimmers, or as a base from which to transmit radio communications further afield.

“We go wherever we need to go, and that doesn't necessarily have cell phone coverage. So it's really important for us to be able to transmit communications and this does that very well,” Sell said.

Anyone who thinks they might have enough room to store the boat and its towing vehicle can visit Coquitlam Search and Rescue’s website and fill out their application form.

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